


Angry Newspaper Children

by CelestialDreamGirl



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25096033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialDreamGirl/pseuds/CelestialDreamGirl
Summary: a collection of one-shots inspired by the live-action movie "Newsies: the Musical" on Netflix/Disney+
Relationships: Jack Kelly/Katherine Plumber
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. Welcome Home (Jack Kelly x Katherine Plumber)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Kelly comes home from war only to discover that his home is filled with ghosts...
> 
> Inspired by the song "Welcome Home" from the hit musical Bandstand (thank you Laura Osnes)

Jack watched the red water disappear down the drain.

He couldn’t focus on the sink for very long - Jack couldn’t stand to paint with red anymore. He’d seen enough of it to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do Albert’s firey hair justice without it, and since he could only see Albert again in his painting, _dammit_ he was going to do the boy justice.

Katherine sighed as she watched Jack hold his hands under the water. He looked stiller than the boys he painted all day and night. She was doing her best to get him eating and sleeping again, but he couldn’t sleep without waking up to paint something new that had come to him in the night.

_When inspiration hits me, I can’t ignore it. They deserve better than that._

That was always his explanation. He said nothing about the cold sweat she always found him in, he refused to acknowledge the deep blue circles that framed bloodshot, broken eyes.

Katherine took a step towards Jack, clearing her throat so as not to startle him. He didn’t move as she approached. He didn’t even move when she appeared in the mirror behind him. She laid her hands on his back, sliding over his shoulders and down his arms to wrap around his waist. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder blade and felt him exhale.

“They keep comin’ back to me, Kath.” He explained, a tear falling his unfocused eyes. “They don’t leave until I can see them in front of me again.”

“I know.” She murmured, squeezing her arms tight around him. Jack put one of his hands - still wet and covered in paint - on her arm. Katherine didn’t mind. She released one of her arms to grab the towel behind her, offering it to him. Jack didn’t respond, still hypnotized by the red water built up in the sink. 

Katherine moved gently around Jack, like the opposite of a tornado. She took his hands and finished cleaning the paint off, drying them, and rinsing out the sink. Once the red was gone, Jack could respond - just barely. She sat him down on the bathroom floor and gently ran a brush through his unkempt hair. She got a washcloth and lightly bathed the sweat and tears off his face, the back of his neck, his arms, anywhere she could reach.

When she was finished, Jack felt exhausted. It was all he could do to get back up off the floor. Katherine took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Jack lightly tugged on her hand, guiding Katherine towards his art room. He’d never brought her inside before, and she didn’t know what to expect. She paused outside the door.

“Are you sure?”

He pushed the door open in response and pulled her inside.

Katherine was met immediately with a perfect recreation of Albert. Somehow Jack had captured his exactness, from the highlights of his ginger hair to the pattern of freckles across his cheeks. Katherine’s hand flew to her mouth to cover a sob. She turned away, and was greeted by a giant pair of Davey’s eyes, critical, analytical, but somehow always twinkling. She couldn’t look at any of their faces for more than a second, instead seeing only the details of each canvas. Elmer's sweet dimples, Specs’ twinkling golden frames, Race’s cocky smirk, obstructed by a cigar so real, Katherine swore she could have reached out and plucked it from his mouth. She looked around at the faces of all the boys they used to know and back around to Jack. He was focused on a picture of Finch.

One eye closed and his slingshot aimed outward, Finch looked so real he could have been in the room with them, aiming at her. 

Katherine threw her arms around him, letting silent tears fall on Jack’s shirt. She held him as tight as she could. She wanted so desperately to hold him together, to tape up the cracks and make him a person again.

Jack was hanging on by a thread - a thread named Katherine.

“I think...” Jack’s voice came out in a raspy whisper. Katherine hadn’t heard his voice in so long, all she could do was hold him tighter and felt the reverberations on her face. “it’s time for bed, Kathy.”

Later that evening, it was Katherine who couldn’t sleep. Jack had knocked out as soon as he touched the pillow, the same way he always did at the end of a sleepless week. He looked softer, younger, less afraid while he was asleep. Katherine pressed a kiss to his forehead, drawing a sleepy smile onto his face, and she got out of bed. She walked back down the hallway to the room full of paintings. She turned on the light and could practically hear each of their voices greeting her. Katherine worked her way slowly through the room, touching each canvas in turn. She couldn’t help it - they were Jack’s family, but they were _her_ boys.

Katherine did a slow rotation, noting new details in the faces she longed for so desperately.

Mush had a freckle on his neck she’d never noticed before. Race had crow’s feet from smiling so much. Davey had a tiny Star of David tattooed on his hand.

Katherine caught sight of something on the wall near the window.

It was her old newspaper article - “ _NEWSIES STOP THE WORLD_ ”. Jack had framed the article.

Katherine looked down at the picture of all their smiling faces. All but a few of those boys had been drafted, but only a few of those boys had come home. 

Katherine suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of calm. She couldn’t do anything for the boys in the picture anymore, but she could _damn well_ do something for the one asleep in her bed. 

Katherine replaced the article, running a finger fondly over the picture. She made her way back through the maze of canvas and easels and paint buckets. She stopped in the doorframe and turned back to the room, full of painted ghosts.

“Goodnight boys. _Welcome home_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this work, consider buying me a coffee!
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/celestialdreamgirl


	2. Inspiration (Katherine Plumber)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine Plumber cannot seem to get over a case of writer's block. So Jack calls in some reinforcements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorty short short (it looked a lot longer on tumblr) but something small and sweet! this was actually my very first original post on my newsies blog! 
> 
> It feels weird posting my goofy newsies content, but I hope you all like it :D

Katherine was a wreck. She’s been trying to get somewhere in her article for hours to no avail. So far she’d written a title and her name and not a letter more. 

After staring at the pathetically blank page for longer than she’d care to admit, Katherine was done for the day. She packed up her bag, donned her coat, and turned off the light. Walking down the stairs, the newsies still danced through her mind. If she couldn’t find a way to sell these kids in her story, no one would see a reason to change any of the wrongs happening to them.

Katherine was chewing her lip and worrying with her head down all the way to the door. When she pulled the handle she was greeted by some familiar faces. She looked up to find a collection of young boys in dirty clothes, grinning up at her like a bunch of puppies. In front of them all was Jack.

“Hey... hi.... listen, um, Race saw you was havin’ a rough time with the story- he said it was beatin’ on ya pretty hard- so he told Finch, who told Tommy Boy, who told Elmer, who told Mush, who told Henry, who told Romeo, who told Albert, who told Specs, who told Les, who told Davey and me. So the boys and I decided to come getcha picked up before you head home.”

Katherine smiled and surveyed the hopeful grins of all the kids she was trying so desperately to help. She stuffed her notebook into her bag and nodded, taking her place between Davey and Jack and flashing a smile at the boys.

With her affirmation, the boys took off running, whooping and hollering and playing like the children they were. Davey, Katherine, and Jack trailed behind, walking like adults rather than children, arms intertwined.

“They really didn’t want to lose you- or the story- but mostly you.” Jack noted, lightly nudging Katherine with his elbow.

“We thought getting you outta the office would help.” Davey piped, looking around at the setting sun against the New York skyline.

“This I exactly what I needed.” She replied, squeezing Davey’s bicep and smiling at Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this chapter, consider buying me a coffee!
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/celestialdreamgirl

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this chapter, consider buying me a coffee! 
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/celestialdreamgirl


End file.
